Yachin House

Yachin House (Hebrew: בית יכין), also known as Yachin Tower or simply Kaplan 2, is a landmark modernist office building located at 2 Kaplan Street, at the corner of Ibn Gabirol Street in central Tel Aviv, Israel. Designed by renowned Israeli architects Arieh Sharon and Benjamin Idelson, the building is a significant example of brutalist architecture in Israel and represents a notable transition in Sharon's architectural practice from early modernism to brutalism. The building is included on a preservation plan of iconic brutalist structures. Location and setting Yachin House occupies a strategic location in the city's commercial district. The building stands at the convergence of three major thoroughfares: Kaplan Street (to the south), Ibn Gabirol Street (to the east), and Dizengoff Street (to the west). This central location has established the building as a landmark visible from various points across the city center. Nearby landmarks include the Jewish Agency for Israel Building, the Sarona complex of former Templer buildings, and the Dizengoff Center shopping mall. The building is located within close proximity to the city's main business and commercial hub, making it a prominent architectural presence in downtown Tel Aviv. Architecture and design The building was completed in 1973 after a multi-phase construction process that spanned approximately eleven years. Yachin House is a fourteen-story office and commercial building featuring a ground floor with retail spaces, a mezzanine floor, and eleven upper floors dedicated to office use. The building exemplifies brutalist architecture with its imposing concrete facade and exposed raw concrete (béton brut) construction. The structure is characterized by massive horizontal lines that accentuate the building's strong geometric form, creating striking patterns of light and shadow across the facade. The design incorporates narrow ribbon windows (fenêtres en longueur), typical of modernist and Bauhaus-inspired architecture, which provide controlled natural light while contributing to the building's austere, monumental appearance. This stylistic approach gives the building a stately and institutional character rather than a purely commercial one. The architectural style employed at Yachin House shares similarities with contemporary Israeli modernist structures of the 1970s, including the Faculty of Medicine building at Tel Aviv University's Ramat Aviv campus, also influenced by brutalist principles. The architects integrated horizontal emphasis and functional design principles that reflected the late modernist architectural vocabulary of the era. The total building area encompasses approximately 2,600 m2 (28,000 sq ft) of land, with a built floor area distributed across the fourteen stories. The building contains comprehensive office facilities including private offices, open-plan spaces, meeting rooms, kitchens, and restrooms. Architects Arieh Sharon Arieh Sharon (1900–1984) was one of Israel's most influential and prolific architects, graduating from the renowned Bauhaus School in Dessau under Walter Gropius and Hannes Meyer. After returning to Mandatory Palestine in 1931, Sharon began designing buildings in the International Style and Bauhaus aesthetic. Following Israel's independence in 1948, Sharon was appointed director and chief architect of the National Planning Authority, where he developed the country's first national master plan—the Sharon Plan—which profoundly influenced Israel's urban and regional development policy. Sharon's career encompassed over 600 architectural projects, ranging from kibbutz planning and residential structures to hospitals, university buildings, and high-rise commercial complexes. He was awarded the Israel Prize for Architecture in 1962 and the Golden Medal of the Mexican Institute of Architects in 1963. By the 1950s and 1960s, as Israeli cities like Tel Aviv transitioned from low-rise to multi-story development, Sharon's architectural practice evolved toward brutalism, particularly through his partnership with Benjamin Idelson. The Yachin House project represents this transition in Sharon's work, showcasing his shift from earlier modernist principles to the massive, concrete-focused brutalist vocabulary. Benjamin Idelson Benjamin Idelson (1911–1972) was a prominent Israeli architect born in Leningrad who immigrated to Palestine in 1925. After studying architecture at the University of Ghent in Belgium, he returned to Palestine in 1934 and established a significant architectural practice. Idelson designed numerous public institutional buildings across Israel, including structures at Tel Aviv University, the Technion in Haifa (such as the Churchill Auditorium, completed in 1958), and the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. His work was recognized with the Israel Prize for Arts in 1968, reflecting his substantial contributions to Israeli architectural culture. The partnership between Sharon and Idelson produced some of Israel's most significant brutalist structures, with Yachin House being a notable example of their collaborative vision. Building history and tenants Since its opening in 1973, Yachin House has housed a diverse array of governmental, institutional, and commercial organizations. Early tenants included government agricultural organizations such as Yachin (the organization from which the building derived its name), the Labor Council (Moetzet HaLul), the Flower Council (Moetzet HaPrachim), and Tnuva (the major Israeli agricultural cooperative). Over the decades, the building's tenant roster expanded to include diplomatic missions, with the embassies of South Africa and Brazil occupying office space. Various departments of the Israeli Ministry of Defense maintained offices in the building, as have military censorship authorities. Financial institutions such as the Discount Bank have leased office space. Cultural and institutional organizations have also occupied the building. The Tel Aviv Environmental Protection Office established itself within the structure, and the building has housed various other municipal and governmental agencies. Notably, the building's basement levels have contained secure storage vaults for art collections, reflecting the building's role as a significant institutional repository in central Tel Aviv. Structural and material features The building's construction employs reinforced concrete throughout its structural system, with the raw concrete left exposed on the exterior facade rather than clad or finished. This brutalist approach emphasizes the material honesty and structural clarity that characterizes the style. The massive concrete elements project a sense of permanence and institutional authority, appropriate for a building serving government and commercial functions. The horizontal emphasis created by continuous lines of ribbon windows contrasts sharply with the massive concrete volumes, creating visual rhythm and geometric interest. The building's substantial weight and monumental proportions convey stability and permanence, distinguishing it from purely commercial structures that prioritize transparency and visual lightness. Contemporary significance and preservation As of the 2020s, Yachin House continues to function as a major office building in central Tel Aviv. The structure remains architecturally significant as one of the finest examples of brutalist design in Israel and represents an important phase in the city's architectural evolution during the rapid modernization of the 1970s. In November 2025, the Tel Aviv local planning and construction committee approved the expropriation of a land strip along the building's Kaplan Street facade, comprising approximately 533 m2 (5,740 sq ft) of the building's 2,600 m2 (28,000 sq ft) property. The purpose of this expropriation was to widen Kaplan Street and construct infrastructure for public transportation, primarily the Light Rail Green Line's Kaplan Station. This decision reflected ongoing urban development priorities in central Tel Aviv, where Kaplan Street serves as a major commercial and transportation corridor connecting the city center to the Ayalon Highway. References